So are costumes and bases the last '2011' things to do? (non-rant)

Hi all!

As the title says, this is not a rant as such, but more thoughts and conclusions I've come to especially in light of the launch of this issue. Whilst I think and believe that the game has pushed itself beyond its own boundaries in regards to its own look (Praetoria, First Ward and Atlas Park all spring to mind here, along with the stunning art of the Underground Trial), and mechanically with the Incarnate System and the genuine raft of alternative and replacement abilities in Temporary Powers, there's still a couple of issues I feel are unaddressed and I wonder as to their future. And they are:

• Costuming: I think it's fair to say that whilst CoH is probably one of the leading games for sheer variety and creativity for costuming, I think it's also fair to say the game shows its age in some areas. Most other games take back items as passe, as a given, but there's been genuine issues in getting them to any point in this game. For me, a long standing issue has been complimentary back pieces to the Chest Details that we so often get. An armored vest often has two pieces; to me that's just common logic. We have a sense of layering here, but probably not as well-rounded as the most direct competition this game has.

Admittedly, this game has had the advantage of a more recent game engine and learned from CoH's, but I am wondering the absolute limits of what can be coded in have been reached. I know at least the option to go with assymetrical costume parts would be one that I'd enjoy for a variety of looks and the recent update suggests a good merging and updating of parts. Even body texturing seems to be getting better; I'm reasonably sure the legs on the Male Barbarian 'pants' seem smoother and better defined than their other counterparts. Can this go further? And if so, how much further? I'm curious to know.

• Bases. This has to be one of the last bastions of customisation out there for this game along with Pool and Patron/Epic Powers. Don't get me wrong; I think what base builders can do these days is nothing short of miraculous, but every base builder I've spoken to speaks of the juggling acts they have to pull off and the sometimes horrendous lag the results of said juggling acts bring about.

Another thing they continually say is the lack of parts they have to work with. Just simple items require a lot of other simple items to make. Again, referring to another similar game, I feel CoH has been outshone and deservedly so in this area. Modern coding allows for a broader variety of effects. Animations, lighting, 'mechanical' effects and arguably cleverer instancing for any kind of housing, which is essentially what bases are, even if that wasn't their original intent. Housing today is either a dedicated space with an illusion of being attached to the world around it, or is part of a greater series of housing objects in a shared instance. The idea of freeform placement of any kind of housing in a game world is probably not the best idea, unless the game's making some sort of dedicated effort to give players room to spread out.

This is being said bearing in mind that the Devs have recently said and confirmed that something big is in the works for bases this year (unless I have misheard and am happy to be corrected). I think the things bases lack (at least for me) are a sense of connectedness to the greater game world around them (be it windows to 'see' the world or mimicking perhaps a building players fancy as 'theirs') and personal touches. Showers, tables, a sense of place, for wont of a better term. It's often been argued that personal housing isn't available for players here, because of Prestige and Super Group issues. I'd like to think that could be overcome by means of using Influence in a manner as Prestige, and access perhaps as a bought space with dedicated teleporter ala base teleporters?

I talked to several friends of mine whom I showed around the new Atlas Park and they agreed that in terms of spaces, it was now replete with many many areas (parks, movie theaters, even apartment complexes) that leant to a sense of both immersion and roleplaying, as well as concept. It'd be hard for me to imagine some form of personal space not being a part of that connectedness or at least the ability to have that within a base.

Anyways, those are my thoughts on these matters....I'd love to hear yours, as always.



S.

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Part of Sister Flame's Clickey-Clack Posse

To be blunt, I would rather the dev team focus on revamping old content than focusing on new shiny toys.

Proliferate weapon sets, power/epic pool customization, bases, base raiding, inventions revamp, or expansion, improved crafting, etc.

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C'mon, noone has any thoughts/responses to this other than one person? At least I thought I had some good points....


S.

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Part of Sister Flame's Clickey-Clack Posse

Something is being done with bases - no details yet

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@Golden Girl

City of Heroes comics and artwork

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@Golden Girl

City of Heroes comics and artwork

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@Golden Girl

City of Heroes comics and artwork

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In a sort of weird way, I think that the devoted base builders could possibly be holding back major changes to the base system - like because of all their awesome bases that they've spent hours and hours of work on, the devs probably wouldn't want to make any changes that would ruin those bases, which is what a major revamp of the base system would very likely do.

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@Golden Girl

City of Heroes comics and artwork

I think they would eventually get over it. Most of them have their fun in the building.

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Actually, I started a thread in the base forums back at the beginning of this year to address the question of whether base builders would be willing to start from scratch.

Overall, it was a mixed response, but generally folks said that if there was a way to keep their legacy bases but start new ones with a completely new system, they'd be on board with that.

If there was no way to keep the legacy bases, most folks conceded that as long as they got the prestige value for the old base, they'd be willing to start again. However, there were a few who felt that it would be a deal breaker.

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The BIG consolidated LIST for BASE LUV
YUMMY Low-Hanging Fruit for BASE LUV

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AFIK, using multiple emblems for banners was always a feature, not necessarily a bug or workaround.

The biohazard emblem issue is on the list to get fixed.

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The BIG consolidated LIST for BASE LUV
YUMMY Low-Hanging Fruit for BASE LUV

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In my opinion, the really big problem with the base system is that it is very likely NOT the final version of what the developers had in mind. Remember that almost all of Cryptic's staff post-CoV release was transferred to work on the nebulous Marvel MMO, leaving the remaining 14 devs to be very careful about which systems got resources allocated to them. And as those of us who do work on bases are aware, aside from a few mechanical changes and some veteran rewards, the base system itself is more or less the same as it was almost six years ago. Heck, it's actually less than what it was because there's no raiding and no actual Items of Power from CoP trials to display in your base anymore.

I feel the base system needs a strike team devoted to its continued development in order to build it up to where it should honestly be in the CoH of 2011; minor tweaks and changes just won't get it done. To be perfectly honest, the only solution might be to scrap the current system and build it up from scratch. And if there would be a way for those of us who've literally spent millions upon millions in Prestige on our bases to get our investment back, I'd be all for getting rid of the old and bringing in the new. But we don't know exactly what the devs have in store for bases or how long it'll take, so there's no point worrying about it just yet.

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Positron: "There are no bugs [in City of Heroes], just varying degrees of features."

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@Golden Girl

City of Heroes comics and artwork

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"Mastermind Pets operate...differently, and aren't as easily fixed. Especially the Bruiser. I want to take him out behind the woodshed and pull an "old yeller" on him at times." - Castle

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And don't forget PvP and AE as two other forgotten stepchildren of progress.

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Positron: "There are no bugs [in City of Heroes], just varying degrees of features."

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